Weekly Recap: Dell in the News - January 20 edition

Welcome to the latest edition of the Weekly Recap, your guide to the week's Dell-related news and happenings.

Story of the Week

How Michael Dell is reinventing Dell Inc. MarketWatch – Jan. 17, 2012Since taking back the CEO’s office from Kevin Rollins in 2007, Michael Dell has been doing little but leading the reinvention of Dell Inc. And one day he may look back at 2011 as a high point in what’s proving to be a bold, even controversial, gambit to become a corporate IT powerhouse.

Other Dell News

A Closer Look At The Dell XPS 13 UltrabookForbes – Jan. 20, 2012Yesterday I received a pre-production Dell XPS 13, one of the new crop of Ultrabooks, and a sweet machine it is. Too bad I’ll have to send it back in a couple of weeks. I could really get used to it.

Is Personalized Medicine In Your Future? InformationWeek – Jan. 19, 2012The teaser at the top of a recent Wall Street Journal article proclaimed, "What does the future of medicine hold? Tiny health monitors, tailored therapies--and the end of illness." Whoa! IT-enhanced personalized medical therapy holds great promise, but we won't be eliminating disease from the face of the earth any time soon. Nature is much too smart to let that happen.

Alien Autopsy: We Look Inside the Alienware X51MaximumPC – Jan. 18, 2012Besides chocolate and coconut, oil and water, gaming and small form factor usually don’t mix. That’s something Alienware is hoping to fix with its new incredibly small X51 box.

School saves time, money and energy with Dell KACE computing.co.uk – Jan. 17, 2012Woodbridge High School in Essex says it has shaved £14,000 off its energy bill since installing a Dell KACE systems management appliance with the help of IT solutions provider Joskos Solutions back in June 2011.

Dell’s Little Big Ultrabook Looks Like a Winner Time – Jan. 16, 2012The more Ultrabooks that got unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show, the more convinced I became that it’s silly to discuss them as if they were a coherent new class of portable computer. No two manufacturers seem to agree on what an Ultrabook should be. That’s neat, since it means they’re experimenting. And last Tuesday, Dell introduced my favorite answer so far to the question “What is an Ultrabook?” in the form of its new XPS 13.

What SMBs Need to Know About SaaS...NowForbes – Jan. 16, 2012Software as a Service is one of – if not the most – popular cloud delivery models for small- and medium-sized businesses. According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing (2011), SaaS is entering the mainstream market in the next two to five years. The SaaS model levels the playing field between growing businesses and larger competitors, by equipping SMBs with application functionality that only large enterprises previously enjoyed.

Dell Discovers Internet Mojo in … Philadelphia? Wired – Jan. 13, 2012When Rick Nucci says he runs an internet company based in Philadelphia, people in Silicon Valley look at him funny. “We would come out here to meet with VCs,” he remembers, with a bit of a smile. “They would say: ‘Philly? Do you guys have internet there? Are you working in some sort of Amish commune?’” He ended up partnering with a venture capital firm in New York.

“The one really cool thing about technology is that it is one of the few areas where things get better, faster, and cheaper - all at the same time. The X51 is a perfect example of this trend, as it is a well-priced, sweet looking and balanced product. I expect to see more like this system over the next year as we continue to ramp towards Windows 8.” - Rob Enderle, TG Daily

“For aggressively emphasizing innovation, for branching out into the more-lucrative areas of IT and data storage, and for exemplifying how not to let your boardroom descend into chaos, Michael Dell was named a finalist for MarketWatch’s CEO of the Year award.” – Ben Pimentel in Marketwatch

“Innovation can take many forms and by using this framework, businesses will be able to identify new opportunities in finance, process, offerings, and delivery. However businesses should not focus on one area or type of innovation but should ensure that this entire framework is woven into the fabric of the organisation to achieve the best results and biggest return.” - Jim Stikeleather, Chief Innovation Officer at Dell Services

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